Kimpton To Plant Its First Wisconsin Flag With 158-Key Downtown Milwaukee Hotel

Local developer HKS Holdings LLC is planning a 158-room Kimpton Hotel in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. According to The Business Journal, the project has gained its first approval from the neighborhood's Architectural Review Board.
The proposed eight-story building will be developed on the current site of a parking lot at the northeast corner of Broadway and East Chicago Street. Owned by Chicago Street Holdings LLC, the new upscale boutique property will be the first hotel in the city’s Third Ward neighborhood.
Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater Architects will design the project, which will include a rooftop bar, a fitness center, expansive meeting space, a ground-floor restaurant, as well as underground parking. Construction is expected to begin this fall.

A 158-key hotel in Milwaukee’s Third Ward that would represent the first Kimpton flag in Wisconsin has passed its first regulatory hurdle. The Business Journal reports that the upscale property has won approval from a local architectural review board.

HKS Holdings L.L.C., the project’s developer, plans to build the eight-story hotel on the site of a parking lot at the northeast corner of Broadway and East Chicago Street. Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater Architects will design the project, which will include a rooftop bar, a fitness center, expansive meeting space, a ground-floor restaurant, as well as underground parking. Construction is expected to begin this fall.

Increased business travel is drawing new investment to Downtown Milwaukee’s hospitality market. Recent arrivals include the 128-key Hilton Garden Inn, which opened last fall; the 90-key Brew House Inn & Suites, scheduled for a May opening at the former Pabst brewery complex; and the 205-key Marriot hotel under construction at 323 E. Wisconsin Avenue.

“We’re seeing a growth demand for our style of boutique hotels in the market and have been attracted to Milwaukee for some time,” Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant Group CEO Mike Depatie said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be growing our Kimpton footprint in the Midwest. Milwaukee, in particular the Third Ward and its eclectic and artistic character, fits perfectly with our hotel collection,” The San Francisco-based company operates 58 hotels and 67 restaurants across the country.

Kimpton’s parent company, Kimpton Group Holding L.L.C. recently closed on a $203 million fund which will be used to acquire or develop more than $500 million worth of hotels over the next three years.